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United States Patent | 5,349,304 |
Ryat | September 20, 1994 |
An operational amplifier input stage has at least two positive input transistors and one negative input transistor for providing more accurate and efficient limiting or rectification in limiter and rectifier circuits. The two positive input transistors are connected in parallel having a common drain connected to one side of a load and the negative input transistor's drain is connected to the other side of the load. The sources of all transistors are connected to a common node which is connected to a constant current source. This arrangement enables simplistic high accuracy limiting and rectifier circuits, having a reduced number of extrinsic components, thereby reducing unwanted speed limitations, to be realized. The operational amplifier input stage is also very useful in low supply circuit applications.
Inventors: | Ryat; Marc H. (Fort Collins, CO) |
Assignee: | SGS-Thomson Microelectronics, Inc. (Carrollton, TX) |
Appl. No.: | 017672 |
Filed: | February 12, 1993 |
Current U.S. Class: | 330/253; 330/135; 330/251; 330/277 |
Intern'l Class: | H03F 003/45; H03F 003/50; H03F 003/345; H03K 005/00 |
Field of Search: | 350/257,253,135,277 |
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